Rural public schools must mitigate the challenges of student migration. Why is there migration of students from rural schools?; What is the impact of student migration on school organization in rural schools?; and how school stakeholders mediate the impact of student migration on school organization in rural schools.
INTRODUCTION
The amalgamation of different schools has become a crisis for the community around the school, which has closed down because it means their children have to walk long distances to get an education. This means that three quarters of parents can allow their children to go to schools that are closest to their homes.
RATIONALE AND MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
Some schools are heavily affected by student migration, so their enrollment has dropped drastically, and the Ministry of Education has decided to merge them with other schools. I have decided to investigate the causes of student migration and its impact on rural areas.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
If enrollment declines, the school budget, which is the school's ability to provide a quality education, is affected. This study is worth doing now because rural schools are heavily impacted by student migration to the extent that some face the possibility of a complete provincial shutdown in entrenching the failing schools process that is currently the provincial discourse (Department of Education, 2011).
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To understand how school stakeholders mediate the impact of student migration on school organization in rural schools.
KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS .1 Learner migration
School organisation
Tyler (2012) defines school organization as the combination of human efforts and material equipment brought together in a systematic and effective context to achieve desired results. The school organization consists of various resources such as buildings, personnel, finances, books and equipment (Singh, 1996).
Management
Singh (1996) describes school organization as a structure or framework, system, organized body or a set or collection concerned with the teaching and learning of young students. Singh further describes school organization as a temple of learning, because the learners gather here, sit together under the same roof, the same mats and use the same desks and learn from the same teacher.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Maree (2011) states that convenience sampling refers to situations where participants are selected based on the fact that they are easily and conveniently accessible. Maree (2011) says that qualitative research is generally based on a purposive sampling approach, which he says simply means that participants are selected because of some defining characteristics that make them the holders of the data needed for the research.
DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
I used purposive sampling to sample one high school and one elementary school, both of which were experiencing student migration. Maree (2011) states that content analysis is used when working with narratives such as articles to analyze open-ended questions in interviews or focus groups.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
An account of the data generation method, sampling, data analysis techniques, ethical issues and limitations of this study was then presented. Theoretical frameworks and related literature were infused under each theme and there was a discussion of the data.
SUMMARY
The chapter then presented the relationship between the activities that teachers, principals and chairpersons of the SGB undertook to deal with the impact of student migration and the activities that human bodies undertook to achieve balance. The third chapter introduced the research paradigm, which covers issues of ontology, epistemology and methodology.
INTRODUCTION
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
THE EQUILIBRIUM THEORY
Essentially, balance theory succinctly connects two health concepts, namely physiology and nutrition (Goetz, 2008). Goetz (2008) indicates that equilibrium theory follows a new understanding of the inner workings of physiology and homeostasis.
LINKING SCHOOLS TO EQUILIBRIUM THEORY
ORGANISATIONAL THEORY
Finally, it is concerned with how the internal organization and the external world can influence the survival of the organization. First, people working in organizations had to be convinced to accept the authority of those running the organization.
RELATED LITERATURE REVIEW
REASONS FOR LEARNER MIGRATION
- THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL CHANGES AS REASONS FOR LEARNER MIGRATION
- FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LEARNERS TO MOVE AWAY FROM THEIR CURRENT SCHOOLS
- INFLUENCE OF GLOBALISATION ON LEARNER MIGRATION
- PARENTAL ROLES IN INFLUENCING LEARNERS TO CHANGE SCHOOLS
Bisschoff and Koebe (2005) state that the second reason parents move their children to former Model C schools is that rural schools lack pastoral care and are not safe. Parents in India are withdrawing their children from rural schools in response to poor service delivery.
IMPACT OF LEARNER MIGRATION ON SCHOOL ORGANISATION
- LEARNER MIGRATION LEADS TO A SHORTAGE OF SCHOOL RESOURCES
- LEARNER MIGRATION LEADS TO THE WITHDRAWAL OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
- LEARNER MIGRATION LEADS TO DEPLETION OF SCHOOL FACILITIES
According to Van der Merwe (2011), student migration results in withdrawal of social capital in black rural schools. Van der Merwe (2011) also points out that there are many negative factors that affect student migration. While Van der Merwe (2011) found that the poor quality of education and other negative things that rural schools suffer from are the results of student migration.
MEDIATION OF THE IMPACT OF LEARNER MIGRATION ON SCHOOL ORGANISATION
- COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS AND PARENTS
- THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPOWERING PRINCIPALS AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS TO MEDIATE LEARNER MIGRATION
- HOW PARENTS EXPRESS THEIR DISSATISFACTION ABOUT AN UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL
- THE CLOSING DOWN OF SCHOOLS AND OTHER CONSEQUENSES AS A RESULT OF THE SHORTAGE OF LEARNERS
I also think that this is similar to what happened in South Africa, because the phenomenon of student migration started after the introduction of the exemptions from paying school fees by poor parents and the opening of the entry registration of rural students to former Model C schools (Lombard, 2009). To address the loss of social capital, school leadership must communicate with a school's parents because social capital is improved through collaboration (Tyler, Jennifer, Thatcher, & Robert, 2006). Based on Tyler et al., (2006), I infer that school leaders can use communication with parents and the entire community to restore the school's withdrawn social capital.
SUMMARY
In KwaZulu-Natal, the government has allocated four hundred and sixty million rand to improve the facilities and quality of education in rural schools to make them more attractive and offer quality education. In the Eastern Cape, empty schools are being turned into further education and training centers to cater for grades 10 to 12. As the schools improve, the general standard of education in rural schools will rise.
INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH PARADIGM
In this study, multiple truths, realities, and perceptions emerged from participants' experiences about the reasons, impact, and mediation strategies of student migration. The researcher's job is to understand the complex experience from the participants' point of view (Mertens, 1998). In this paradigm, researchers use qualitative methods to gauge participants' perceptions. Cohen et al., (2011).
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
The qualitative approach is suitable for this study because Maree (2011) suggests that it helps the researcher get under the skin of the participants. I also chose the qualitative approach because this approach allowed me to interact with the participants (Maree, 2011). One of the requirements of the qualitative approach is that 'qualitative researchers interact with those they study, whether this interaction takes the form of living with or observing the participants over a longer period of time' (Creswell, 1998, p. 26).
METHOD OF DATA GENERATION
- INTERVIEWS
- THE INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
- SAMPLING
- THE SCHOOLS AND THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
- SOMHASHI SECONDARY SCHOOL
- WAKHO PRIMARY SCHOOL
An interview schedule helps the researcher to outline the topic of the research in advance. The other set was addressed to the chairmen of the school governing bodies of the participating schools. Cohen et al., (2011) emphasize the importance of the context in which the phenomenon is studied.
DATA ANALYSIS
It has a principal who was appointed two years ago after the retirement of the previous incumbent. It is Mrs Mzi, who is 56 years old and has 32 years of teaching experience - she teaches in the foundation phase; Miss Zolo who is 44 years old. She is 42 years old and had taught for 20 years before resigning from her previous school, where she was principal.
ETHICAL ISSUES
Guided by Creswell (2003) and White (2003), data analysis in this study followed the following four stages: The first stage was tape-recorded interviews that were transcribed verbatim. This was done to identify patterns and get a general sense of the data. In this study, the research questions were used as thematic headings to classify the collected data.
TRUSTWORTHINESS
Finally, the interpretation was carried out, where the interpretation had to provide logical answers to the research questions. Cohen et al., (2011) states that triangulation is the use of two or more methods of data collection or the use of different participants to collect data to verify already generated data. Cohen et al., (2011) suggest that it is possible to assess the typicality of a situation where participants and settings identify possible comparison groups and to indicate how data can be translated to different settings and cultures.
LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY
To ensure transferability, I have created a paper trail of data generation tools and interviews so that other researchers wanting to conduct the same research can use them to replicate the study. I ensured reliability by using the services of a critical reader who ensured that my findings came from data and that there was congruence. I ensured that my research was generalizable by providing a clear, detailed, and in-depth description so that others can decide to what extent the findings from my research are generalizable to other situations.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
REASONS FOR LEARNER MIGRATION FROM RURAL SCHOOLS
- RELOCATION OF PARENTS
- POOR SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
- POOR QUALITY EDUCATION
- LACK OF RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
- DESIRE TO BE TAUGHT ENGLISH AS A HOME LANGUAGE
According to Lombard (2009), parents like to enroll their students in former Model C schools because they are proudly managed; their buildings and school grounds reflect good management compared to the problematic management of rural schools. Opinions suggested that parents were removing students from rural schools to former Model C schools because they wanted their children to learn English. According to participants, the desire to learn English as a home language caused students to migrate from rural schools to former Model C schools.
THE IMPACT OF LEARNER MIGRATION ON SCHOOL ORGANISATION The experiences of the participants on the impact of learner migration on school organisation
- DISRUPTION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
- LEARNER MIGRATION CRIPPLES SCHOOL BUDGETS
- REDUCTION OF RESOURCE ACQUISITION
- THE REDUCTION OF SUBJECT STREAMS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS The participants suggested that the other impact of learner migration was the decrease of
- THE FORMATION OF MULTI-GRADE CLASSES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS
According to the participants, student migration caused the disruption of teaching and learning in rural areas. According to the participants in the upper secondary school, student migration led to a decrease in subject streams. Half of the focus group participants agreed with their principal that student migration led to the formation of multiple classes in their school.
MEDIATION OF THE IMPACT OF LEARNER MIGRATION ON RURAL SCHOOLS
- THE PARENTS’ MEETINGS
- THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN DIFFERENT WAYS
- RECRUITMENT OF LEARNERS
- FUNDRAISING
- PROMOTION OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Parents were an essential stakeholder in the school and therefore they should be involved in mitigating the impact of learner migration in the school. When admitting learners, rules were not followed and this led to the further downfall of the school. Our learners planted vegetables in the garden and they sold these vegetables to the community to raise money for the school.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
- INTRODUCTION
- SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
- CONCLUSIONS
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE STUDIES
- SUMMARY
How do school stakeholders mediate the impact of student migration on school organization in rural schools? The findings further suggest that poor school management also leads to migration of students from rural schools. Moreover, the findings also indicated that poor quality education is the other cause of students' migration from rural schools.
Before we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add on the migration of students from.
